Mike Stokols, Ph.D., talks about what life has been for him after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He was part of a panel discussion titled “From MCI to Dementia: Insights from Individuals and Their Care Partners.”

Adrienne Stokols remembers little changes in her husband’s memory. About 10 years ago, she started paying attention.

For instance, Mike Stokols, now 73, always was the navigator, the guy who knew where to go. “All of a sudden, he couldn’t tell me,” she says. “A lot of things happened. Small things.”

Six months ago, the doctors had a verdict. Mild cognitive impairment, they said.

Mary Beth Minard, 69, thought she was having “senior moments.” Three years ago, she realized she could no longer remember things. The number of “things” increased. Her husband, Don, was concerned, and his fears were well-founded. The verdict again: mild cognitive impairment.

Minard weeps when she contemplates her condition getting worse. Her major fear is losing her right to drive.

Rita Moreira could see “a lack of follow-through” and her husband, Vance, 53, acknowledges he “couldn’t focus.” He was a real estate consultant, but suddenly addresses were a mystery to him. He was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

All are forms of dementia, defined as “a decline in intellectual capacity impacting memory and other cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with everyday functioning.”

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Mild cognitive impairment, or MCI – subtle but measurable cognitive changes – increases the risk that an individual will develop Alzheimer’s or other dementia, but a fourth of the cases never go that far.

At least 5.4 million Americans are affected by Alzheimer’s disease and an additional 5.3 million by MCI.

How does a person know the difference? Who’s at risk?

Fear of developing Alzheimer’s – currently the sixth-leading cause of death – has become overwhelming to seniors, according to surveys. Fueling the concern: an increased life expectancy of 80 and beyond, and data concluding that one in every two people over age 85 exhibits some form of dementia.

“When Does It Become Dementia? Transitioning from Healthy Aging to MCI and Dementia” was the theme of the recent 19th annual Southern California Disease Research Conference sponsored by UC Irvine’s Institute for Memory Impairment and Neurological Disorders, the UCI School of Medicine, the Orange County Alzheimer’s Association and Alzheimer’s Family Services Center.

More than 500 professionals as well as observers heard experts report that Alzheimer’s begins in the brain 30 to 40 years before symptoms are evident.

While the scientists reported on the lack of sufficient data, and continuing studies on Alzheimer’s and MCI, it was the victims and their families that drew the most attention. Cordula Dick-Muehlke, director of the Alzheimer’s Family Services Center, quizzed patients about the impact of the diagnosis on their lives and concluded that each individual approaches the diagnosis differently.

“You can’t take it personally,” caregiver Moreira said.

Then came the key concern: “Should you be worried?” UCI Professor Kim N. Green asked the crowd.

He concluded that the potential for developing Alzheimer’s is a mixture of genetic and environmental factors. Genetics are inherited, of course, and account for 60 percent of the disease.

“We cannot change our genetics but we can change our environment and lifestyle,” he said, urging attention to a healthy diet and both mind and body exercise. Even crossword puzzles help, he said.

Meanwhile, as David W. Coon of Arizona State University pointed out, an estimated 44 million Americans – more than one in five adults – are providing unpaid care to other adults. The estimated value of unpaid care is $144 billion, more than Medicare and Medicaid combined spent on those with Alzheimer’s disease in 2010.

He quoted Rosalynn Carter, who said, “There are four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers, are currently caregivers, will be caregivers, will need caregivers.”

Without this informal workforce, the entire health care and long-term care system would be in jeopardy, Coon said.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.